Rock for Ages
by DancingStar01
Summary: Connor and Jack decide to go to Vegas where they met the dancers Lindsay and Sue... Pairing C/L, S/J CHAPTER 2 AIRED!
1. Rock for Ages Part 1

Title: Rock for Ages  
Author: Dancing Star  
Crossover: PSI Factor / Sue Thomas FBEye / Rock of Ages  
Pairing: Connor/ Lindsay, Jack/ Sue  
Rating: 12  
Category: AU, Romance  
What happens: Connor and Jack decide to go to Las Vegas. They meet the dancers Lindsay and Sue...  
Notes: Vegas, I still miss you and love you!

**Rock for Ages**

"Why did we run away from home?", Connor asked, a little sulkily, looking at his best friend Jack.  
"I don´t know. There are many reasons, "Jack began," We both broke up with our girlfriends. I lost my job. We haven´t been on vacation for a long time. We have enough of this sleepy town nest... Pick a reason."  
Jack Hudson rolled down the window of the passenger side and felt the warm air blowing around him. "Will you please close the window," Connor complained, "Outside it's even hotter than in here. The air conditioner has already enough to do." He had no idea why Jack wanted to go to Las Vegas. Maybe it was the dream of the never slumbering, glittering metropolis or the wish for a million profit at the poker table.  
"Don´t get mad, okay?" Jack said, "We're almost there. There are only a hundred miles to Vegas."  
To be honest, Connor couldn´t even remember from where they had set out to Las Vegas and he really had no idea how long they were on the road. All he knew was that he had spent most of his time behind the steering wheel of his car and paid for most tank charges. But in a way he had understanding for his best friend: He already knew Jack since high school and after college, they had lost sight of: Both moved to other cities. However, a few days ago Connors mother had died and because Jack's family was very good friends with the Doyles, his mother insisted that he should also come to the funeral. Like he did, his girlfriend also lived in Washington DC and she told him that if he went now (she had a great appearance on tomorrows breakfast television), he should end the relationship. Jack had received a notice the day before due to budget cuts the FBI fired some people and he was one of them. So wasn´t able to confess that they couldn´t afford the expensive 200 square condominium or that they would probably never get married because Jack couldn´t pay the wedding. Everything was suddenly so easy... So he got on the plane, flew to his hometown and met his best friend Connor, who had broke up with his girlfriend for almost similar reasons: She had complained because he often traveled for professional reasons and then she started again the unfortunate wedding- theme and she demanded that Connor stopped traveling immediately after their wedding. "What wedding?", Connor had asked confused. He couldn´t remember to have ever asked. But his girlfriend ran out of the room, crying, and later that evening she started a big quarrel. In the end they decided to go their separate ways and she said she wouldn´t come to the funeral of his mother. On the day on which his mother was buried then, Connor and Jack made their way to a bar, "What do you say if we both go to Las Vegas?", Jack asked after the fourth beer and from the reason Connor needed a little distance, he had agreed. They left on the same day and spent one night in the car. A few miles ago they had stopped at the Extraterrestrial Highway to have lunch in a small restaurant, which had a strange interior.  
The car drove over a mountain and in the distance they could already see the city. It was broad daylight and the air trembled with heat. The Stratosphere Tower loomed in the sky and stretched towards the sun. "This is a wonderful city," Jack said.  
"Yes, wait and see until we are there," Connor muttered. He grabbed the radio and turned it on. An advertising, spoken by an Elvis impersonator, was repeated again and again before the station finally went over to its regular music program.

_I'm waking up, I feel it in my bones _  
_Enough to make my system blow _  
_Welcome to the new age, to the new age _  
_Welcome to the new age, to the new age _  
_Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive _  
_Whoa, whoa, I'm radioactive, radioactive_ ("Radioactive" by Imagine Dragons)

As it was a bit cooler in the evening, they left their hotel to see the city. They lived in a small hotel about one block away from the Las Vegas Strip. The hotels were cheaper when they weren´t directly located on the strip.  
"Look at it, Connor. THIS is Las Vegas. That's Entertainment, Elvis, Rock and..."  
"...A lot of wasted money," Connor interrupted him. They were standing on a bridge, which led from the New York New York- Hotel to the MGM. Inwardly, Jack echoed his best friend a moralist and a party pooper. "I wonder why I have taken YOU to Vegas," he said, "What do you want to do today? Don´t tell me you want to see the David Copperfield show. "  
Connor asked him if he had a better idea and of course Jack nodded: He planned to spend his last dime in a casino, hoping to win lots of money. "I would say that you have the freedom of choice," Connor replied, "In what casino you want to gamble your money?" He was supposed he didn´t stop him, but he knew Jack: If he was up to something, he didn´t give until he had it. In the same way he had also come to the FBI.  
Jack picked a casino called O'Sullivan's Casino, which lay on the right side of the Strip in Las Vegas. First, they ate a hot dog for three dollar and drank a beer then Jack looked for a slot machine in the casino. How the name suggested, it was an Irish casino.  
He sat in front of a slot machine and put a coin after the other into the device. But the slot machine swallowed the coins and spit out any more. "That's a joke," Connor muttered in the background and shook his head.  
"I'm only starting," Jack disagreed and now fed the machine with some more dollars. When that didn´t produce the desired result, he got up to look for another machine. He had hardly left the chair, when an old lady sat on it, threw a coin into the slot machines and the machine was happily flashing threw out a big win.  
"It's my money!", Jack called and wanted to lunge to the machine, but Connor stopped him. "Let it go, buddy," he said to him, "How much money do you have with you?"  
"Twenty dollar."  
"Total or for tonight?", Connor asked.  
"Total." While Jack wondered at what slot machine he should try his luck next, Connor decided to invite him for another beer. They sat down at a bar and a blonde woman immediately came to them and asked them what they wanted to drink. Connor ordered two glasses of beer. He noticed that quite a few people were present in the casino.  
"It´s probably a quiet tonight, huh?", He asked the waitress.  
"Well," she rolled her eyes, "Today, everybody´s at the Rio Hotel. There, a poker tournament will take place. Why aren´t you there?"  
"I´m not interested in poker," Connor looked at Jack now, "And he´s broke."  
"Hey!," Jack was offended.  
"Let me guess: You're in town because you broke up with your girlfriends. On the other hand, you could also have lost your job", she guessed. Another blonde woman brought two bottles of Jack Daniel´s and put them in the fridge.  
"Almost correct" Connor grinned, "He's lost his job and girlfriend," he pointed to Jack again, "I just lost the girlfriend."  
"This is bad enough."  
"How did you know?"  
"I'm working for years in this casino and meet people like you every day... I'm Sue."  
"This is Jack. I'm Connor."  
Now she turned to her colleague. "This is Lindsay."  
Lindsay smiled. "Hi. Nice to meet you."  
"I suppose you're not serious," Connor concluded, "As your friend and you have to deal with people like us for years and you only say this just to fill us thus increasing your tip." After saying had, Lindsay expressed the suspicion he hopefully didn´t work with the police and Connor laughed.  
"I hope you're not angry with us," Lindsay suddenly began, "But our shift is almost over and we still have something to do today." Lindsay walked past her.  
"She´s talking about our second job," Sue explained to them, "We are dancers in a show at Planet Hollywood."  
"Are you Showgirls?"  
"No," Sue laughed, "To be a true Las Vegas showgirl, you have to be even thinner... And the heydays of the showgirls are long gone."  
"Sue?", Lindsay called her and Sue waved her guests. She told them the late shift would now take care of them and if they wanted to, they could come back to O'Sullivans tomorrow.

"My God, they´re here again," Sue muttered the next day, when she and Lindsay started their shift at O'Sullivans, "Yesterday when I told them they could come back, I had no idea that they would take this seriously."  
"Well, because you always have to flirt with the boys... Do I look good?", Lindsay asked. She tugged at her blue dress. A good look increased the chances of a good tip.  
"I am what?", Sue wanted to know Lindsay and reminded her she had talked to Connor pretty much yesterday but Sue confessed she liked his best friend Jack. They set to work and Sue tried to welcome her guests not too obvious.  
"Hi," she said to them, "What brings you over here? It´s 2 o´clock in the afternoon."  
"That was his idea," Connor said, pointing to Jack. His best friend leaned over the counter to Sue and Lindsay. "You must help me," he began, "I've gambled all my money last night at a slot machine. But we are in town for two more weeks and now I need a little money... Do you need help at O'Sullivan's? I have two helping people to offer."  
"What?", Connor, Lindsay and Sue asked simultaneously. Connor was amazed that his best friend actually had so much scruple and got him involved. Sue and Lindsay were amazed he asked them for help. He told them that they made a nice and serious impression and in a way they were the first people he had met in Vegas.  
"Well, as far as I know there are no jobs here. We would have to ask the boss"; Lindsay said. Now Connor noticed the few guests at the O'Sullivans, again. He didn´t believe this was due to yesterday's Poker Championship at the Rio Hotel.

They were surprised that the head of the O'Sullivans had actually agreed: Two workers had failed and the boss had already considered if he should hire replacement with a temporary employment agency. That now two men appeared in his casino and wanted to work for the same pay, saved a lot of time. He therefore decided Connor and Jack would be working with Lindsay and Sue: They worked in the casino for years and knew it inside and out.  
Connor's first job was helping Lindsay to review a drink order and get the boxes from the truck inside the casino. "Don´t get me wrong, but a job in O'Sullivans is not a child's birthday," Lindsay said to Connor, "You and your friend don´t look like the guys who otherwise carry our boxes."  
He thanked her for the compliment.  
"I can understand your friend. Life in Vegas is expensive. Sue and I live here since five years and sometimes I have three jobs, so I can live."  
"Really? What else are you doing?"  
"I write books," she rolled her eyes, "Cook books to be exact. Do you know _Penny's Kitchen_... That's mine."  
"I know," Connor replied, lifting a box from the truck, "My ex-girlfriend has all of the books in this series, appearing monthly on newsstands and cost three dollars."  
"Why did you break up?"  
"She had other ideas of live...", Connor rose to the truck to get the next box, "She wanted me to marry her. She wanted me to give up my hobby aka my job for her..."  
"That doesn´t sound very willing to compromise," Lindsay firmly said.  
"What about you? Why did you come to Vegas?", Connor asked.  
"I've always dreamed of this glittering metropolis," Lindsay smiled, "The final impetus for my dream came when my boyfriend broke up with me back then."  
"Is your dream fulfilled in Vegas?"  
"Almost," she pushed a box of Coke bottles on the deck, "I wanted to be a dancer... Instead, I'll take care of the bar at O'Sullivans and at Planet Hollywood I have a tiny little role in a show."  
They had brought a total of 10 drinks crates from the truck. The rest of the truck belonged to other bars. "These are quite a few crates," Connor stated and leaned against the truck when had left it. "Yes, we don´t need more in the next two to three days," Lindsay said. She noticed he had a little problem with the heat. Then she smiled: "Wait until the boxes are in the bar."

Inside the casino, it was cool. The air conditioners were running at full speed, while Sue took care about the dishwasher and put countless beer glasses in the liquor cabinet. She had her back turned to Jack, so she couldn´t see him, as he entered the bar area and brought some empty trays, which he had found among the unused slots. Sue still ignored him. "I need a dollar, dollar. A dollar is what I need. Hey hey, "he began to sing and she still hadn´t turned around. He rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, I don´t sing so bad," he complained.  
"I have to disappoint you," another voice suddenly said. It was Lindsay. Connor was carrying a box full drinks to the bar.  
"What?"  
"I said, I have to disappoint you."  
"Well," Jack said, "Sue doesn´t like my voice." He looked at Sue, who was still busy with the dishwasher.  
"I don´t think it's up to your voice," Lindsay replied, while she and Connor put the drinks in the fridge, "She can´t hear. Sue is deaf." She saw in Jack's face that he didn´t believe her. So she turned to Sue, called her name and asked her to turn around. But Sue was still ignoring them.  
"Convinced?", Lindsay asked him, "Nothing. A job in a noisy casino is ideal for her."  
Sue was now finished with the dishwasher and came to them, when she saw them standing at the counter. She smiled. "Are the drinks ready?", she asked.  
"We are ready. Today we only had 10 boxes", Connor said. And he also added he found it strange they had ordered so few drinks. Sue reported they really wouldn´t need more. She suggested they could clean the carpet. She and Lindsay were responsible for the day shift, which began at 8:00 a.m. in the morning. At that time, not many visitors were at the casino, so they took care of the cleaning, while people walked past the open doors of the O'Sullivans.  
Connor hoped they would have more visitors at the casino for lunch, but except for a group of tourists who wanted to take a sip, the O'Sullivans remained empty.  
"Is this your every day´s business?", Connor asked, as their shift was over at 6 p.m. and they were replaced. When he and Jack had come to the casino for the first time it wasn´t frequented very much.  
"Yes, what´s going on with the O'Sullivans?", Jack also wanted to know, "I noticed it´s always pretty empty." They left the casino through the back door and Connor rolled his eyes. The sun was setting and it was getting dark, but it was still quite warm. The hotels and casinos on the Las Vegas Strip were already lighted with many colorful and dazzling lights. They mingled with the people, who were on the sidewalk.  
"Many years ago the O'Sullivans was a well-attended casino," Lindsay told them, "But that was before our time. Our boss often tells."  
"Really? What was the big change?", Jack asked.  
"A rock star has been shot at the O'Sullivans nine years ago. It was closed and when our boss had re- opened a few days later, there were no visitors: the bad publicity had spread throughout the city. The O'Sullivans was almost broke, our boss even invested his inheritance in the casino, renovated it and reopened again. This didn´t work... "  
"Since then the O'Sullivans is almost empty. But it's enough to hire eight employees. We could need a new carpet but we can´t afford", Sue added. It was early evening, but she was tired.  
"It´s very warm here," Connor complained and Jack immediately had an idea: "In our hotel there is a pool..." He looked at Sue.  
"No, thanks," Lindsay refused, she believed she had seen through him, "Sue and I usually don´t get into the cars of men who we know only for a day. And we also don´t go swimming with them."  
"Let's have diner," suggested Sue instead, "They have great steak at Blondie's Bar."  
Connor and Jack agreed and they laughingly stated they went in the wrong direction. They turned around and headed south along the Strip.

"I have an idea," Jack said to Sue the next afternoon. They had the late shift today, so they had to start working at 6 p.m.  
"You and your ideas," Sue laughed. Nevertheless, she was excited to learn of his idea.  
"We bring the O'Sullivans back to what it was once... Before this rock star was shot here," he said, "Who was that? Someone you know?"  
"His name was Drew Walker and his band was called Phoenix Hills."  
"I know them," Jack agreed, "They were on tour with Guns N 'Roses. My dad had the record."  
Their boss walked past them and put a large cardboard box on the bar "What's that?", Lindsay asked. "A new game system," her boss said, "A technician will come over right now." He was on his way to his office.  
"But we have no money!", Lindsay called after him and her boss predicted that the new machine would flush money into their coffers. Karaoke was modern, he said.  
"Oh dear," Jack rolled his eyes and Sue asked him what was going on, "Karaoke is uninteresting for years." They watched as the announced technician came and built up the big machine. It consisted of a large, wall-sized LED screen and a kind of dance floor. Two guitars were attached to cables and also belonged to it. Connor wasn´t surprised at all that the engineer built the facility during the day, because Lindsay had told him their biggest business-if they ever had one-was in the evening and at night. Moreover, the people on the sidewalk didn´t care about the events in O'Sullivans.  
Finally, the technician was finished and needed a signature of Lindsay. He then left.  
They only had one guest: An old grandmother had got lost in the Irish casino until now.  
"Let's see what this baby can do?", Jack and Connor asked, nodding. They chose a program and the dance floor beneath their feet began to glow. The large LCD screen in front of them showed two figures jumped back and forth between notes and red dots.  
"At least the two have fun," Lindsay said to Sue as she prepared a drink for the old lady who just sat on the slot machines. Connor and Jack played guitar and sang as loud as they could and the red dots turned into yellow: "_Gimme all your lovin ', all your hugs and kisses, too. Gimme all your lovin ', don´t let up until we're through. " _  
Sue assumed the yellow dots meant that they had made the sound.  
"What song do they play?", she then wanted to know.  
"A song by ZZ Top," Lindsay replied, "Jack is nice, isn´t he?"  
"He is," Sue agreed and Lindsay grinned, "You like him."  
"No," Sue looked frantically, "No. He wouldn´t be interested in me if he knew that I'm deaf. "  
"He knows it, do you hear?" Lindsay said to her and she realized what she had said, was free of meaning, "He knows you're deaf. And yet he doesn´t behave like all the other idiots whom you have confessed your biggest secret. "All men Sue had been dating and told them about her deafness, had ignored her and then disappeared completely out of her life.  
Lindsay noticed from the corner of her eye, that some people had gathered at the entrance and were reluctant to enter. But finally they entered the casino, ordered drinks and sat down at the slot machines. Connor and Jack were soon replaced by some other visitors, because they also wanted to try again as Guitar Hero.

The next morning, the morning shift cared for the cleaning of the casino. Lindsay couldn´t believe that her boss actually was right and the karaoke machine should rinse some more money into the coffers of the casino again. She discovered Connor, tired, waiting for Jack who just wanted to get his car, on a step at the entrance.  
"Hey, ZZ Top, how are you today?", she sat next to him, "That was a great idea. I didn´t know you are a good singer."  
"Everyone has a hidden talent," he stretched himself wearily, "But working through the night isn´t mine." He smiled. He thought they only had to work again tomorrow afternoon and his grin widened. He looked forward to sleep.  
His car slowed in front of him now and Jack called after him: "Connor, go! I can´t park here for long." In fact, Connor and Lindsay got up. "What about you and Sue?, he asked, "Will you come home anyway?"  
Sue now appeared beside them. "We are waiting for the bus," Sue said and looked at Lindsay but Lindsay seemed to accept their offer to take them home this time. They entered the car and drove north along the Strip. The radio was playing "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns N 'Roses.

Instead of going home, Sue remembered that Connor and Jack had once spoken about a pool in their hotel. So they decided to go to the hotel and go to the pool. But first they took them home to get their swimming bags. Lindsay and Sue lived alone, each in a small apartment building and there were no facilities for swimming. Sue didn´t even have a balcony and Lindsay lived opposite a scruffy motel complex.  
The hotel where Connor and Jack stayed in was pure luxury and Lindsay could get used to lie in the sun every day and immediately after reaching the lively pool area they had reserved four sunbeds. They sent Jack and Connor to get some drinks. "It's a really nice place," Sue enthused, "Did you know that the real Las Vegas showgirls were tanning in the sun without bikini?"  
"What do you want to say?", Lindsay asked. Connor and Jack came back to them and handed each a cocktail. "Do you like the hotel?", Connor asked and Lindsay nodded.  
"Let's talk about my idea," Jack suggested, "We should bring the O'Sullivans back to what it was once. And I've been thinking we need help. Celebrity Support." They all wondered what exactly he thought. "We need to ask a star for help. There are many bands and musicians from the city, but we could also ask someone from Los Angeles ... How about Michael Jackson? "Jack wanted to know.  
"Hey! Are you making jokes about him?", Sue asked," You better don´t do this when you´re with me. I love Michael Jackson."  
"Really?" Jack asked, "But you can´t hear his songs."  
"His lyrics are good and his videos awesome... And he's a gifted dancer." She noticed he was really impressed and that he was talking about her handicap didn´t bother her.  
"Besides, he's dead so we can´t ask him," Lindsay chimed, "What about The Police?" That was the band of Sting.  
"They disbanded in 2008," Connor said, "Are there some famous people here in the city?"  
"Why don´t you do it?", Lindsay suggested, "You are good singers."  
"But we aren´t famous. No one knows us", When he said that, Connor noticed Jack seemed to like this idea. He looked thoughtful. He probably thought about a name for their band. "How about The good and the bad guy?", Jack wanted to know then.  
"For what? But not as a band name?"  
"Sounds like the title of an action movie," Sue laughed.  
"Well, Poison is unfortunately already taken," Jack said and they all fell into a discussion of whether or not they should think of something better. Connor even asked, if he was the good or the bad guy of the band now. The worst part of their discussion was that their idea seemed to take more shape.

To be continued…


	2. Rock for Ages Part 2

Title: Rock for Ages Part 2  
Author: Dancing Star  
Crossover: PSI Factor / Sue Thomas FBEye / Rock of Ages  
Pairing: Connor / Lindsay, Jack / Sue  
Rating: 12  
Category: AU, Romance  
What happens: Connor and Jack decide to go to Las Vegas. They meet the dancers Lindsay and Sue...  
Notes: Vegas, I still miss you and love you!

**Rock for Ages- Part 2**

They stayed at the pool until the evening and Jack complained when he saw Connors shirt: "Are you serious?," Jack said, "You're wearing a shirt from Black Sabbath?"  
"So what?", Connor didn´t understand his excitement. Ozzy Osbourne's band made one or the other iconic song.  
"Let him go," Lindsay was Connors opinion. They saw how Jack walked away shaking his head and Sue followed him. "I thought, he likes it when I dress myself according to his purpose..." Connor said.  
"Wow!", Lindsay yelled, "You take this band thing really seriously." She saw how Connor shrugged his shoulders. Then she had an idea: "We have the whole day off," Lindsay said, but then she added, "At least in the O'Sullivans. Do you want to come to Planet Hollywood and watch the show?"

Connor took her invitation and so they went that evening to the Planet Hollywood Hotel which was located next to the Paris hotel, but diagonally opposite the world famous Bellagio. They entered the show area of the hotel through the back entrance and Connor joked he already felt like a star. Lindsay showed him how he arrived at the best seats and handed him a ticket. She explained that each dancer was given two tickets per year to give away these tickets even more and he had to show the ticket later. Now it was time for the training. Some dancers were on stage in sportswear and trained. They would get dressed in their magnificent costumes later. Lindsay finally appeared on stage. She was wearing black leggings, a black shirt and had tied her blonde hair into a severe bun. Like the other dancers she made pirouettes and warmed up with stretching exercises at the ballet barre. Then she had to dance her showpiece in front of the coach. Lindsay hadn´t exaggerated: The part of the show, where she was dancing was really short. After the training the coach sent the dancers to the backstage area. Only Lindsay remained: she came to the edge of the stage and sat down there. Connor then sat down beside her. "You're a very good dancer," he told her, "And I don´t say, because you are my practically my boss at O` Sullivans and I would have to butter you up. "  
She laughed. Then she grabbed his hands and pulled him to the stage. In the middle of the stage, they stopped close to each other. "Sing," Lindsay muttered suddenly.  
"What?" Connor was confused, because she suddenly went away from him and got a guitar out of the backstage area, then took a seat in the audience and left him on stage. For a second he had actually thought she would kiss him.  
"Sing," she demanded.  
"No... uh, you should change your clothes," he said, "For the show?"  
"I´m dressed in five minutes," Lindsay replied and crossed her legs, "Now sing."  
Connor swallowed. "No."  
"Why not? You have sung at O'Sullivan's when we got the karaoke machine."  
"This is something else." He watched as Lindsay now rolled her eyes.  
"You are standing on the stage of a huge Las Vegas hotel. Maybe you never get that chance again", she quite knew what she had said. But she wanted to be realistic, even if the band by Connor and Jack should work, they would only have small gigs in the beginning. When The Killers and Imagine Dragons, both bands came from Las Vegas, started their careers they had certainly smaller gigs, too. But she wasn´t sure if this was true.  
"Well," Connor finally gave in, "But promise me you won´t laugh."  
"I promise," Lindsay solemnly raised her hand and watched as he finally hung his guitar around his neck.

_I spend all my money on a big ol 'fancy car _  
_For synthesis bright eyed honeys _  
_Oh yeah you know who you are _  
_Keep me up 'til the sun is high _  
_'Til the birds start calling my name _  
_I'm addicted and I do not know why _  
_Guess I've always been this way _  
_All these roads quietly be wrong _  
_But I still drive them all night long, all night long _

_All you wild young girls _  
_You make a mess of me _  
_Yeah you young wild girls _  
_You'll be the death of me, the death of me _  
_All you wild young girls _  
_No matter what you do _  
_Yeah you young wild girls _  
_I'll always come back to you, come back to you_ ("Young Girls" by Bruno Mars)

At the same time Jack and Sue walked along the Las Vegas Strip. He had invited her for some ice cream, which wasn´t cooling in the heat of the city.  
"Lindsay told me that she has two... sometimes three jobs so she can live in Las Vegas. What about you?", Jack wanted to know.  
"Well, I have two jobs," Sue admitted, "Lindsay and I both dance in a show at Planet Hollywood."  
He nodded. Jack knew Lindsay was dancing, but he had no idea Sue belonged to the show, too. "How do you do that?", He asked why interested, "How do you dance without hearing?"  
Sue smiled because he wanted to know.  
"Sorry, that question was too personal?"  
"No, that's okay. To be honest, my role in the dance show is just tiny. I only have to look good and I don´t have to come to the trainings, "she said," I can only listen to music when it´s so loud that the bass is clearly felt ... If I want to talk to people, I can only do that by reading lips. That's pretty difficult and I have practiced a long time as a child."  
"That's impressive. What do your parents say that you live here in Vegas? "  
"When I told them I wanted to try my luck in Sin City, they were shocked. In their opinion I should get an education and teach other deaf children. I wanted more and they didn´t understand..." They stopped at the Bellagio and watched the fountain show. Jack could understand what she wanted to say. In a way, he also wanted more from life.  
"My parents don´t know I now have two jobs to earn my living. They think I'm a dancer with Donny Osmond at the Donny and Marie- Show."  
"What if your parents suddenly show up in Vegas and don´t see you in the show?"  
"They won´t," Sue leaned against him, "My father has a small grocery store. He can´t afford closing this for a week or even a few days."  
Jack was surprised that Sue leaned her head on his shoulder, but he didn´t dare to do something about it. Finally, he decided to take his courage and kiss her. That Sue let it happen. She didn´t care they were here in front of the Bellagio and kissed.  
But then a vibrating alarm from Sue's pocket interrupted them: She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and glanced at it. "It's late. I have to get ready for my show at Planet Hollywood." She noticed how Jack looked disappointed. So she grabbed his hand and pulled him along.

_So long I've been looking too hard. _  
_I've been waiting too long. _  
_Sometimes I do not know what I will find _  
_I only know it's a matter of time _  
_When you love someone, _  
_When you love someone. _

_It feels so right so warm and true _  
_I need to know if you feel it too. _  
_Maybe I'm wrong _  
_Won´t you tell me if I'm coming on too strong? _  
_This heart of mine has been hurt before _  
_this time I wanna be sure. _

_I've been waiting for a girl like you to come into my life. _  
_I've been waiting for a girl like you, a love that will survive. _  
_I've been waiting for someone new to make me feel alive. _  
_Yeah, waiting for a girl like you to come into my life _ ("Waiting for a Girl like You" by Foreigner)

The first show was finished at 10 p.m. and the dancers had a half hour break, during which the cleaning staff cleaned the audience area. So while waiting for the second show that night, Lindsay and Sue took their two visitors to the backstage area. They told them there were dancers in the show, which had its own wardrobe, but they didn´t belong to them: Each of them only had a separate dressing table.  
At 10:30 p.m. the second show started, which then ended half past midnight. Against 1:00 a.m. in the morning they left Planet Hollywood through the back entrance of the hotel. At this late hour, Las Vegas was the paradise of lights. A few nights ago Connor was woken up at four in the morning. At home, he was used to getting up early and he also had to add the time difference of three hours between Las Vegas and his hometown, where it was now three hours later. When he looked out the window, he noticed that the neon sign of the hotel was still turned on and even the gas station on the other side of the street was still open. So the gamer- metropolis never slept.  
As soon as they left the hotel, Sue and Jack apologized and ran away alone. Connor and Lindsay remained puzzled. "What are they doing?", she asked, but the rapturous expression in Sue's face told her immediately. She rummaged through her bag and found out she had forgotten her cell phone at Planet Hollywood. "I have to return to the hotel," she said and Connor offered to accompany her. They entered the backstage area again through the back entrance and Lindsay walked purposefully to her dressing table. In fact, her cell phone was still there and she put it in her pocket.  
"How about ROK Vegas?", Connor suddenly said and put a newspaper on her desk. She cast a wary glance out: "What about it?"  
"I know from reliable sources that the actress is pregnant and the musical production is looking for a new main cast. You are the ideal person for this."  
"ROK Vegas is not a musical," Lindsay interrupted him, an amused grin crossed her face, "This is a bar at the New York New York Hotel… But thank you for believing in me."  
Connor apologized for misunderstanding the article then and he also added he wasn´t as familiar with the places of Vegas. "Sounds like you would consider to stay longer," she guessed. She noticed now they were alone in the locker room area now. Connor came closer to her.  
"Perhaps," he murmured, "Convince me." Then he kissed her and Connor was pleased to find out she didn´t stop him.

The sleep was good and when Connor woke up the next day at noon, he noticed Lindsay was no longer beside him. He lifted his head wearily and saw she took a tray from the room service. She paid the man with a twenty dollar bill. Apparently she had ordered the premium breakfast, but Connor had already tested this breakfast and knew it sounded better than it tasted.  
She smiled when she came to the bed, dressed in a bathrobe and sat down with him. They ate together then they set to work in O'Sullivans.  
Both weren´t surprised when they met Sue and Jack, who entered the casino at the same time. "Has been a long night, huh?", Lindsay asked Sue when they were alone. Jack and Connor should take of a beverage delivery at the back entrance of the casino.  
"It was," Sue agreed, "Jack and I were at the most beautiful place in the world."  
"What?"  
"We were there until morning and really enjoyed it."  
"What?"  
"We were on the Stratosphere Tower," Sue said finally, "Vegas at night looks fantastic from there. And the sunrise is beautiful..." Sue thought she had never met a man like Jack. He was different than most men who treated her like air, when they learned she was deaf. Jack had a genuine interest in her.  
As they were cleaning up the casino, they found out they now even had a proper stage for performances. "Guys, I hope you have chosen a decent band name," their boss said to them, when he saw Jack and Connor for the first time today, "I don´t want to be sued in the end because of a name... The audience was enthusiastic about your performance recently. I want you to fill the house tonight and rock for ages." He walked past them and Connor and Jack remained puzzled.  
In the evening, O'Sullivan was really busy. When Sue and Lindsay asked the people at the bar, why they had come they didn´t answer it was because of the slot machines. Most came because of good music and apparently the word got around quickly.  
Connor and Jack were backstage and both looked very nervous even when Lindsay came to them. "How are you?", she asked Connor and he nodded.  
"I'm incredibly excited," he admitted.  
"Yes, I can imagine," she leaned over and kissed him. Then she took a step back. "I must now announce you," she smiled, "Let's talk about the band tonight, okay?". She walked past him at the small stage. There, she grabbed reached for the microphone the limelight. "Ladies and gentlemen," she began, "Please welcome with me for the first time live at the O'Sullivans Casino in Las Vegas...", she stopped and turned to Connor. She called his name softly and then asked: "What about your band name? Do you stick to it?"  
"To what?"  
"The good and the bad guy?", she whispered and Connor nodded. Then she turned back to the microphone and shouted: "Welcome with me The good and the bad guy!"  
The people clapped and the music started. As the crowd cheered, Lindsay and Sue took care of the bar, the revenues were higher today than usual and the celebrating guests were thirsty. Even their boss came out of his office to help Lindsay and Sue at the bar.

They ended their party in the early morning hours. Connor and Jack were tired and when they had sung a few songs, they left their stage the tourists. In their "backstage area" Jack wanted to know from Connor what he thought of when he told her. "Tell her what,?" said Connor. Jack just grinned.  
A supplier brought a large box and Sue took the package. Then she wanted Lindsay, Connor and Jack to come in the kitchen area. "What's in the box?", Jack asked, while Sue opened the box with a carpet knife. "I have allowed myself to order shirts for all of us. Fortunately you decided to keep your band name." She put on a black T-shirt, printed with the band name, over her red tank top.  
Connor and Lindsay thanked her and then they all went back to work. Jack caught Sue, as she cleaned the bar with a rag. He had seen how Connor left to get the vacuum cleaner and Lindsay took care about the dishwasher.  
"May I help you?", Jack helped her to wipe the bar dry. Then he sat down on it. "I have to tell you something," he began, "Sue, our night and our last night were wonderful. I only think about you... Sue, I love you. "  
"What?," she was surprised by this confession.  
"Come with me," he said, jumping from the bar, "You´ll like Washington."  
"But what should I do if I'm in Washington?," she said, "I never had a real job after school. All I ever did is working in a casino."  
"That's not bad. I am sure enough waitresses live in Washington."  
"Why don´t you come to Vegas?," she asked. She knew he worked for the FBI and the agency had an office in Las Vegas, too.  
"Because... There is this job in Washington. I could manage my own team."  
"This is precisely the problem: Your dream is this to get this special job in Washington. And Vegas is my dream."  
Jack took a second to understand what she had said. "Okay," he finally muttered, "At this point I can´t keep up."  
"It's better this way, believe me. You wouldn´t be happy here and I wouldn´t be happy in Washington", she got up," What would you also tell your friends, colleagues and your family when you're dating a waitress from Vegas? You deserve someone better. " She walked past him and didn´t turn to look at him. For her it was over.  
He hadn´t thought for a single second of what would his colleagues from the FBI think when he told them he was dating a waitress from Las Vegas.

Jack drowned his sorrows in a bar near the casino. He didn´t want to decimate the supply of alcohol of O'Sullivans, although he would have paid. Connor had needed almost an hour until he found Jack. "Here you are," he cried and sat down beside him. He could see in Jack's eyes, he must have been drinking quite a bit, "Did you forget we wanted to talk about the band today?"  
"I don´t care about the band. I don´t care about O´Sullivans."  
"Why the sudden change?", Connor asked, "Are you about heartache?"  
"Sue broke up with me. I asked her if she would like to come to Washington with me. Sue said no."  
"You can get the girl out of Vegas but you never get Vegas out of the girl."  
"What nonsense! I don´t even get the girl out of Vegas."  
"I'm sorry, do you hear, but the band was your idea and now you also have to stand up straight for it."  
"The truth is…", Jack began, "Nowadays no one is willing to give up a job for love. If someone does, then this is just fairy tale... Some tearjerker stories. People have no idea what it means to give up a career for someone. You can´t live from hand to mouth."  
Connor grabbed Jack's shoulders. "You don´t know what you're talking about."

Connor conveyed his best friend in his hotel bed. Then he called Lindsay, who came to the hotel immediately. "What's going on?", she asked as she entered the room. He'd already reported on the phone that Jack had become drunk and they had a problem because of tonight was their next gig.  
"How long will he need until he has recovered?", he asked in a whisper, as they stood together in the doorway to his room, where Jack was in bed and asleep.  
"He will have a headache tonight," Lindsay said when she walked to the couch and sat on it. "I've talked to our boss," she beamed, leaned over and kissed him, "Your performance was class. Our boss says the casino hadn´t been so busy for a long time. He ´s about to ask you if you want to be the first show attraction which the O'Sullivans ever had... And if it continues like this, he wants that Sue and I give up our jobs at Planet Hollywood."  
"Is he serious?" They both laughed and then Connor rolled his eyes, "Provided that Jack is fit tonight."  
"About what were the two fighting?"  
"Jack had asked Sue if she would like to come to Washington with him. She has refused. .. The poor guy. I think he really likes her... As a result of this rejection, he got drunk. And he has said that normal people would never give up a job for another person."  
"Why? He´s right", Lindsay said and Connor looked at her in disbelief. She understood immediately. "Oh, please don´t tell me, you would give up your good job for a woman." She remembered what he had said about his ex- girlfriend and he wasn´t ready to give up his job for her. Why should he be ready now?  
"If she´s the one... Wouldn´t you do that?"  
"No. We don´t know what the future holds. This behavior is reckless."  
"I think it depends on the situation. If I´d ask you if you want to come with me, then this is a prize for someone like you."  
She got up. "Wait!," Lindsay sounded angry, "What do you mean: For someone like me?"  
"That is to say my job is very important to me."  
"I´m not important to you?"  
"Yes, but..."  
"Not THAT important," she ended the sentence. Then she grabbed her purse and left.

Lindsay met Sue at the casino and immediately noticed her sad face. She asked her friend what was going on. "Jack told me that he loves me," Sue confessed without hesitation.  
"That's great."  
"And he wanted me to come to Washington with him."  
"No. That's not true!", Lindsay cried. She already knew this, but she acted as if she'd just learn from her.  
"I refused," Sue sat on a bar stool and grabbed her hair, which she had tied in a ponytail, "And because this wasn´t helping, I broke up."  
"That's terrible," Lindsay grabbed her hand comfortingly, "I think he really liked you."  
Sue nodded. "I think so, too. He was different from all the men I dated before... You know, now I'm almost sorry that I let him go." She looked really very sad.  
"We know in what hotel the two live", Lindsay tried to comfort her, but then her face also changed, "But to be honest, I have no idea if we are still welcomed there... I think Connor and I also broke up."  
"How can you don´t know if you broke up with him?"  
"Sorry. We had a dispute ... Because of you. Then one came to the other. "  
Now it was Sue, who had to hug her friend comforting.

_Whatever happens, I'll leave it all to chance. _  
_Another heartache - another failed romance. _  
_On and on... _  
_Does anybody know what we are living for? _  
_I guess I'm learning _  
_I must be warmer now ... _  
_I'll soon be turning, round the corner now. _  
_Outside the dawn is breaking, _  
_But inside in the dark I'm aching to be free! _

_The Show must go on! _  
_The Show must go on! Yeah, yeah! _  
_Ooh! Inside my heart is breaking! _  
_My makeup may be flaking ... _  
_But my smile, still, stays on!_ ("The show must go on" by Queen)

In O'Sullivans rained powerful trouble, when Connor and Jack phoned the casino boss in the afternoon and announced to quit their jobs. He thought Lindsay and Sue were to blame and fired the two.  
It was raining that night, as the two went home after their last shift at the casino. In Las Vegas, it usually never rained during summer. And because both had no umbrellas with them, they were out in the cold rain. Even the little-developed sewerage wasn´t prepared for the masses of water and soon all the roads were under water. Lindsay said to Sue that the sky was crying today because of them. She liked Connor. That he thought she wasn´t important enough, astonished her and made her angry.  
She also thought it was right the two had quit their jobs at O'Sullivan's, but that she and Sue had lost their jobs, too, was a nuisance.

Their remaining days in Vegas went by and finally Connor and Jack were found in their home town. One day, Connor received a postcard from Las Vegas. He knew immediately the card was from Lindsay. "Sue and I were fired at O'Sullivan's," she wrote. That was all. Connor felt guilty because they had apparently lost their jobs because of them. He wanted to go to the door, but when he left his home, he almost collided with another person.  
"You're here," he said to her and Lindsay nodded nervously.  
"Yes. I... I... You..."  
"I miss you."  
"I miss you, too," she embraced him.  
"In the hotel room in Vegas, I didn´t want to say that everyone is lost who gives up a job for another person... I think that..".  
"...Everyone deserves a second chance," she asked and was relieved when he nodded.  
"You won´t break up with me twice, I promise." Nothing seemed better than to kiss her now.

Jack also drew a postcard from Las Vegas from the mailbox and read the small handwriting.  
"I was recently with my parents and confessed to them I'm not a dancer in the Donny and Marie show. First they were a little disappointed, but they have forgiven me I wasn´t completely honest with them. I hope you can forgive me. I have learned Vegas is only a kind of way station for me. I didn´t want to hurt you, because you have taught me there are people who are good to me. Jack, will you wait for me?" With this sentence, the card was over and he took a deep breath.  
"Jack, will you wait for me?", a voice said and now he lifted his head. "Sue," he was surprised to see her here in Washington. He quickly ran to her and hugged her. "My God, you're actually here!"  
"Yes," she laughed as he lifted her up and kissed her, "I thought I should see this city once. Maybe it could be my new home."  
"Maybe?", Jack repeated questioning and Sue laughed again.  
"I'm not sure if I want to stay here because it is much colder than in Nevada... And, Jack? Have you been waiting for me?"  
"What do you think?" He left her to decide if she wanted to stay with him.

To continued (in 2014)

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